Hunting Surprises
by Writing4ever4God
Summary: My 2nd Senraq story! When Senna forewarns Tonraq to be careful during his next hunt due to a nightmare she experienced reguarding that very thing, he reaps the consequences when he doesn't take her seriously. R/R


DISC: I DO NOT own any of the characters from LOK. They belong to Brike. I do however own anyone you don't recognize.  
Enjoy!

A/N: This drabble series came to mind after reading about Tonraq injuring himself just so he could spend time with Senna before they fell in love and got married. Some of these take place within the first few years of their marriage. This one takes place a year after their engagement. Others will be during their dating period. I'll specify before the start of the story.

"Hunting Surprises"

Senna bolted upright in bed, tears streaming down her face. She glanced around in fright before her heartbeat started to slow down. She was in her bedroom in the house she shared with her fiancé of the last three years. She and Tonraq loved each other deeply and Senna couldn't imagine her life without him. As a shiver coursed through her body, she felt a strong, gentle hand come to rest on her left shoulder.

"Senna?"

Senna turned to face her fiancé. Before she knew what had happened, she was crying into Tonraq's right shoulder.

"Honey, what happened?" Tonraq smoothed a few strands of Senna's dark, chestnut brown hair out of her face and hugged her close as she let out another sob.

"I…It was just a nightmare," Senna managed to explain through her tears.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Tonraq asked. He planted a kiss on her head as he adjusted himself. "You're safe. I have you."

"I know," Senna whispered. She took a shuddering breath as she choked back more tears.

"Shh, shh, that's my girl, you're okay…" Tonraq soothed.

It took Senna a little while, but she finally started calming down.

"The nightmare was about you," she revealed as another shiver went through her body.

"I'm fine," Tonraq reminded her, "I'm right here."

"Something happened to you when you went out hunting," Senna explained. "Please promise me you'll be careful."

"Aren't I always?" Tonraq smirked a little despite the situation.

"Tonraq, please," Senna's voice shook on the last word and Tonraq felt bad for this attempt at humor.

"Okay, I promise," he kissed the top of her head once again. "Try to get some more sleep, honey. I'm right here."

"I love you," Senna's eyes closed as she snuggled into Tonraq's protective hold.

"I love you too," he whispered. With that, he too fell asleep for the next few hours.

*****

A few hours later, Tonraq pulled on his parka as he prepared to leave for his usual morning hunt. As he zipped it up, he decided to go say good-bye to Senna one more time. He didn't know why, he just felt the need to spend a few more minutes with her. Entering their bedroom, he walked over to the bed, bent down and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"Senna," he whispered, "Senna, honey, I'm leaving to go hunting."

"Tonraq," Senna mumbled as her cyan eyes opened, "where are you going?"

Tonraq chuckled when he realized she hadn't even been awake when he had told her his plans for the morning.

"I'm going hunting, sweetie," he answered. "I'll be back in a little bit and we can have breakfast together before you go to work. I love you," with that, he bent down again and planted one more kiss on her soft lips.

Senna returned the kiss, sitting up in the process. As they pulled away, she reached out both of her hands and grabbed her fiancé's hands in her own.

"Tonraq, please promise me you'll be careful out there," she locked her beautiful cyan eyes with his slightly darker ones.

"I'm always careful," he reminded her. But as he gazed into her eyes, he noticed a hint of fear there. Fear for him. That's when the night's events came back to him. He remembered how scared she had been as he tried to calm her down and protect her from the terrors of the night.

"I'm serious. Promise me you'll be careful."

"I will. I promise," Tonraq pulled his hands out of his fiancé's grip as gently as he could. As he did so, he put a hand on her right shoulder only to discover she was shaking. This concerned him. "Hey, hey, what's gotten you so scared?" He sat down next to her and was rewarded by Senna wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest. Tonraq soon felt wet droplets on his shirt. "Senna, talk to me," he coaxed.

"I just have a really bad feeling about you going hunting. Please be careful!" she tearfully whispered.

"It was just a nightmare. I'll be fine," he promised yet again. "Would you feel better if I stayed here? We have enough food for a few days yet."

"No, it's okay," Senna tried to calm down, "you need time for yourself. I'll be fine. Just please…" her voice trailed off as she took a shuddering breath.

"Are you sure?" Tonraq was concerned for her now. He didn't want to leave her in this state.

"I'm sure," she replied. She pulled away a minute later, wiping the last remnince of tears away.

Tonraq nodded. He kissed Senna one more time and left the house for his usual hunting ground. But as he walked, he couldn't get Senna off of his mind. He just prayed she would be okay in time.

**********

Tonraq sighed as he finally made it to his usual hunting spot. He had gotten lost halfway there. It was a rare occurrence and Tonraq wondered if he should have taken Senna's concerns more seriously. After all, she had never led him wrong in the whole three years they had known one another.

Fifteen minutes later, Tonraq watched in satisfaction as the spear hit its target. Bending down to gather the animal into his canoe, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Glancing to his left, he was soon on his knees as the pain increased tenfold. Whatever had just bit him had really sunk their teeth in deep. Thanking the spirits that he hadn't gone far from the igloo he shared with Senna, he tried his best to drag himself back there so she could tend to him. This was definitely not the way he had wanted to start his morning hunt, but apparently the spirits had other plans. The one good thing was that he would soon be in the care of the woman he loved. What's more, he knew without a doubt she would be able to make the excruciating pain now racing up his left leg subside. For once, he had not planned on this as a way to see his fiancé.

As he continued his effort to get back to Senna, Tonraq had to stop as his body started shaking with shivers and pain. And as he lost the contents of his stomach on the ground, Tonraq knew he was in trouble. He hardly ever got sick. He had to get to Senna now. He managed to make it halfway there before collapsing in the snow. He just prayed someone found him before it was too late…

*****

Tonraq's eyes opened what felt like a long while later. He was still in pain and his body was still shaking. As he got his Barings, he felt a pair of hands holding him down. His first instinct was to struggle, but something told him not to. He recognized the touch and forced himself to relax as much as he could. The person holding him down wouldn't hurt him. She had never hurt him in the whole three years they had known one another. In fact, it was her he turned to in times like this. He had nothing to fear from her. As his eyes locked with a pair of cyan ones, he was proven right as to who was holding him steady. As her familiar gentle, soft voice met his ears, he could feel the pain going away slightly.

"Tonraq, it's okay, you're okay. I'm the one holding you down. You need to stay still so Katara can help you."

"Se…Senna…" Tonraq managed to say through painful breaths.

"Shh, you need to stay as quiet as possible," Senna gently instructed. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm glad," he managed a tiny smile for her. Then feeling the need to defend himself, he said, "I..I didn't do…this wasn't just so I…" his voice trailed off as another shudder of pain coursed through his body.

Senna seemed to understand where her fiancé's train of thought was going and assured him without a second thought.

"I know, honey. I didn't think getting bitten by a rat snake was part of your hunting plan," she smiled a little in an effort to lighten the mood. Her smile quickly faded when she saw the pain in Tonraq's eyes. "You're gonna feel better soon. Katara's gonna help you. All you need to do is focus on me."

"That's not too hard," Tonraq quipped before swallowing hard.

Senna rubbed his left shoulder comfortingly as she continued to keep him as still as possible.

"Are you feeling anything else besides pain?" she asked.

"Cold….nau…nauseous…" his voice trailed off as he coughed a little.

"Okay. Katara's gonna give you some medicine that will help with the pain and shaking," Senna explained. She turned to her left and pulled something out of a basket. Setting it down, Tonraq saw it was an empty bowl.

"What were you hunting out there?" Senna questioned as she kept a steady hold on his shoulders to prevent him from moving around too much.

"Artic rabbit," he replied. "I didn't even see whatever bit me. One minute I was gathering the two artic rabbits and the next I feel a…sharp pain in…"

"Okay, okay, shh," Senna put a gentle finger to his lips. She started to hum softly, hoping it would help Tonraq stay calm. Tonraq soon felt a small pinching sensation in his right shoulder. He winced, but that was it. He figured it was the medicine Senna had told him about earlier.

"Senna, it hurts," Tonraq admitted.

"I know, I'm here, I'm not leaving you. I wish I could take it away, but I can't. Katara has more expertise in this field than I do," Senna explained.

"I don't even know what bit me," Tonraq revealed.

"It was a rat snake," Senna frowned. She figured Tonraq hadn't been with it enough when she had revealed the information to him earlier.

"Is it supposed to hurt this much?" Tonraq asked.

"I'm not sure. I've never been bitten by one before," she confessed.

Silence fell over the three for a few minutes. It was broken only by Senna's sweet humming and her occasional reminders to her fiancé to stay still and for him to keep looking at her.

Tonraq suddenly felt his stomach twist unpleasantly. He swallowed hard as he tried to alert Senna to the problem.

"Se…Senna…" he said as the feeling of nausea grew.

"Yeah?" Senna glanced down at him, her eyes full of concern. She saw the expression on his face and sprang into action immediately. She glanced at Katara who nodded in consent. Turning back to Tonraq, Senna helped him as gently as she could to turn to face her just as he lost whatever was left in his stomach.

"It's okay, you're okay," Senna soothed while holding the bowl underneath of his chin. Once Tonraq's stomach had calmed, the young woman pressed a cup of water to her fiancé's lips.

Tonraq took a few sips before pushing the cup away. He let Senna help him resume his earlier position before she left to rinse out the bowl. She returned a minute later and placed her hands on his shoulders once again. Her gentle and warm touch almost made him forget about the pain he was currently in. Before Tonraq knew it, he had drifted off into a semi sleep, the sound of Senna's soft humming helping him get there faster...

******

Tonraq awoke a little while later to find Senna sitting next to him. He still was in pain, but it wasn't as bad. The shaking was also gone. He sighed with relief when he realized this. He locked eyes with the woman he loved before speaking.

"You're still here."

"I told you I wasn't gonna leave you," Senna smiled softly at him before bending down and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Senna, you need to get rest," he insisted as he saw the dark circles under her cyan eyes.

"I will once you're okay," she replied. "Are you thirsty?"

"A little," Tonraq admitted.

Senna got him a cup of water and brought it over. She watched him drink it to make sure he didn't gulp it out of thirst.

Once he was done, Tonraq handed the cup back to his beloved and closed his eyes.

"That's it," Senna encouraged, "just try and rest for me."

"Senna?" Tonraq said softly.

"Yes?" she replied.

"You need to go home," he reiterated.

"Tonraq, I already told you I'm not going anywhere. I can sleep on a bed roll for the night. I'll be fine," Senna assured him. "Now try to sleep for me."

"Only if you promise me you'll get some rest too," he bargained.

"You got it," Senna bent down, kissed his lips and prepared herself for a long night. It took her a long time before her mind shut down, allowing her a few hours of sleep. She had been so scared when she had first set eyes upon her fiancé when he had first come in that afternoon. She was truly afraid she was going to lose him. She loved him so much, she couldn't bear the thought…

******

Tonraq's eyes opened as a soft sound met his ears. As he became more alert, he realized the sound was someone crying. Glancing to his left, he frowned when he saw it was Senna. He hated seeing her upset and he was determined to find out what was wrong and help her, no matter how long it took.

"Senna?" he questioned. He tried to sit up, but found it still hurt.

"Tonraq, no," Senna was at his side in seconds, helping him to lie back down. "You have to stay still. You're still hurt."

"What's wrong?" Tonraq placed his left hand over hers in a concerned manner.

Senna shook her head even as more tears came.

"Whe-when you came in today, I was so scared I was going to lose you."

"Senna…" Tonraq wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. He ran a hand through her hair and whispered soothing words into her ear. He was relieved when she started calming down a few minutes later. "I'm okay, thanks to you and Katara. You can't get rid of me that easily."

Senna managed a watery smile.

"That's good to hear. I love you," Senna whispered.

"I love you too, more than anything," he planted a kiss on the top of her head before leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. The couple stayed like that for a few minutes, finding comfort and reassurance in each other's embrace. And as Tonraq held Senna protectively in his arms, he made a mental note to be more careful the next time he went hunting. This was definitely one hunting experience he wouldn't forget any time soon.

THE END


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